PRACTICAL

COOKERY
FOR LEVEL 2
PROFESSIONAL
COOKERY DIPLOMA

DAVID FOSKETT
NEIL RIPPINGTON
PATRICIA PASKINS
STEVE THORPE

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 Contents

Foreword.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... vi
How to use this book............................................................................................................................................................................................. vii
Acknowledgements...................................................................................................................................................................................................ix
Preparing for assessment................................................................................................................................................................................. x
Conversion tables..................................................................................................................................................................................................... xiv

1 Food safety in catering 1

Introduction.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Food safety and personal responsibility............................................................................................................................................................................. 1
Keeping yourself clean and hygienic..................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Keeping work areas clean and hygienic............................................................................................................................................................................. 8
Keeping food safe..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................13

2 Developing skills for employment in the catering and hospitality industry 25

The catering and hospitality industry................................................................................................................................................................................. 25
Personal appearance and managing time.......................................................................................................................................................................31
Producing a plan to develop skills....................................................................................................................................................................................... 33
Applying for a job.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 35

3 Health and safety in catering and hospitality 39

Introduction....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 39
Health and safety in the catering and hospitality industry..................................................................................................................................... 39
Identifying hazards in the catering and hospitality workplace............................................................................................................................ 42
Controlling hazards in the workplace................................................................................................................................................................................ 48
Maintaining a healthy and safe workplace...................................................................................................................................................................... 55

4 Healthier foods and special diets 59

Introduction....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 59
Principles of a balanced diet................................................................................................................................................................................................... 59
Planning and providing for special diets.......................................................................................................................................................................... 68

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 Practical Cookery for the Level 2 Professional Cookery Diploma

5 Catering operations, costs and menu planning 73

Introduction....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 73
Organisation of the kitchen...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 73
Planning and preparing menus for catering operations..........................................................................................................................................81
Costs and calculations used in the catering industry.............................................................................................................................................. 84

6 Prepare and cook stocks, soups and sauces 93

Stock..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 94
Soup...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 96
Sauces...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................100

7 Prepare and cook fruit and vegetables 163

Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................164
Vegetables.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................164
Fruit...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 185

8 Prepare and cook meat and offal 245

Meat....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................246
Beef.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................250
Veal......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................254
Lamb and mutton.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................257
Pork ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................261
Offal and other edible parts of the carcass................................................................................................................................................................. 264

9 Prepare and cook poultry 319

Poultry................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 319
Chicken.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................320
Turkey.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................325
Duck, duckling, goose, gosling...........................................................................................................................................................................................326
Guinea fowl.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................327

10 Prepare and cook fish and shellfish 345

Fish..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 346
Shellfish .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 360

11 Prepare and cook rice, pasta, grains and egg dishes 405
Rice..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 405
Pasta.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 408
Grains................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 413
Eggs.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 417

12 Produce hot and cold desserts and puddings 451

Ingredients used in the pastry kitchen ...........................................................................................................................................................................452
Healthy eating and puddings and desserts ............................................................................................................................................................... 460
Allergies............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 460
Types of desserts and puddings ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 460
Finishing desserts and puddings...................................................................................................................................................................................... 466
Holding and storing desserts and puddings...............................................................................................................................................................467

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13 Produce paste products 513

Types of paste and their uses.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 514
Techniques...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 514
Finishing and presentation..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 515

14 Produce biscuit, cake and sponge products 543

Biscuits ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 543
Cakes ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 544
Batters and whisked sponges............................................................................................................................................................................................ 546
Decorating and finishing for presentation.................................................................................................................................................................... 549

15 Produce fermented dough products 569

Preparing and cooking dough products....................................................................................................................................................................... 569
Finishing bread and dough products...............................................................................................................................................................................573

Glossary............................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 000
Index of recipes........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 000
Index.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 000

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 1
3 Produce paste products
This chapter will help you to:
1 prepare, cook and finish paste products, including:
– using tools and equipment correctly, in a safe and
hygienic way
– producing short, sweet, puff and choux paste
products
– checking that the finished product meets
requirements.
2 know how to:
– identify different paste products,
their uses and preparation and cooking methods
– understand the quality points of ingredients and how
to adjust the quantity to give correct portions
– identify fillings, glazes, creams and icings, and
finishing and decorating techniques
– store finished products safely
– identify ingredients that may cause allergic reactions.

The key ingredients for pastry work, such as flour, eggs 12 Bakewell tart 526
and sugar, are described in Chapter 12. Make sure you 13 Lemon tarte (tarte au citron) 526
read and understand this section. 14 Baked chocolate tarte 527
15 Lemon meringue pie 528
Recipes in this chapter 16 Mince pies 528
17 Banana flan (flan aux bananes) 529
No Recipe title Page
18 Fruit tart, tartlets and barquettes 530
Pastes
19 Fruit slice (bande aux fruits) 531
1 Sugar (or sweet) paste (pâte à sucre) 517
20 Chocolate éclairs (éclairs au chocolat) 532
2 Short paste (pâte à foncer) 518
21 Profiteroles and chocolate sauce (profiteroles 533
3 Rough puff paste 519 au chocolat)
4 Choux paste (pâte à choux) 520 22 Gâteau Paris-Brest 534
5 Suet paste 522 23 Eccles cakes 535
Pastry goods 24 Pear jalousie 536
6 Quiche Lorraine (cheese and ham savoury flan) 522 25 Cheese straws (paillettes au fromage) 536
7 Flan case 523 26 Puff pastry slice (mille-feuilles) 537
8 French apple flax (flan aux pommes) 523 27 Gâteau Pithiviers 538
9 Pear and almond tart 524 28 Palmiers 539
10 Treacle tart 525 29 Baklava 540
11 Egg custard tart 525 30 Sweet samosas 541

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 Practical Cookery for the Level 2 Professional Cookery Diploma
Types of paste and their
uses
Short paste
The shortness of a paste refers to the crisp, light and
sometimes crumbly texture of the finished paste. The
term ‘shortening’ describes the effect of the fat when
rubbed gently into the flour, breaking down the gluten
strands in the flour and producing the short texture
qualities. Short pastry is typically used as a lining for
savoury and sweet pies, tarts and flans.
Sweet paste
Sweet paste is a short paste that has been sweetened
with the addition of sugar and often enriched by the
addition of egg. The type of sugar used is normally
caster sugar or icing sugar. This helps to achieve a fine,
smooth paste. Sweet paste is commonly used to line
sweet tarts, tartlets and flans.
Puff paste
Puff paste is a laminated paste. The term ‘lamination’
refers to the layers that are produced when making puff
paste. To make puff paste, a dough is produced using
a strong flour as the dough needs to be elastic and
robust enough to incorporate layers of butter without
splitting or oozing. The butter is added to the paste in a
layer which is multiplied hundreds of times through the
process known as ‘turning’. Each turn multiplies the
layers of paste and butter until the desired amount is
reached, usually four ‘double’ or ‘book’ turns. When the
paste is baked, the layers of fat produce steam resulting
in a rising between the layers of dough. This is what
causes the rising of puff paste and the development of
hundreds of fine, delicate layers in the finished, baked
product. Puff paste is used to make sweet and savoury
products such as turnovers, pastry cases (bouchées, vol-
au-vents), pies, palmiers, fruit bands and mille-feuilles.
Choux paste
Choux paste is made by melting butter in water, binding
this mixture by cooking to a paste with flour before
beating in eggs to produce a fairly thick but slack paste
of a ‘dropping consistency’. It is then piped into the
desired shapes and baked. During the baking process
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the moisture from the water content helps to produce
an air bubble around which the paste bakes to form a
light batter-like product. Choux paste is used to produce
products such as profiteroles, éclairs, gâteaux Paris-Brest
and the famous French dessert Croquembouche. It
can also be used to produce savoury products – small
choux buns filled with a savoury mousse, for example.
Techniques
Adding fat to flour
Fats act as a shortening agent. The fat has the effect
of shortening the gluten strands, producing a pastry,
which are easily broken when eaten, making the texture
of the product more crumbly. The development of
gluten in puff pastry is very important as long strands
are needed to trap the expanding gases, and this is
what makes the paste rise.
Fat can be added to flour by:
l rubbing in by hand: short pastry.
l rubbing in by machine: short pastry.
l creaming method by machine or by hand: sweet
pastry.
l lamination: puff pastry.
l boiling: choux pastry.
Other techniques
Folding: an example is folding puff pastry to create its
layers.
Kneading: using your hands to work dough or puff
pastry in the first stage of making.
Blending: mixing all the ingredients carefully by
weight.
Relaxing: keeping pastry covered with a damp cloth,
cling film or plastic to prevent a skin forming on the
surface. Relaxing allows the pastry to lose some of its
resistance to rolling.
Cutting:
l Always cut with a sharp, clean, damp knife.
l When using cutters, always flour them before use by
dipping in flour. This will give a sharp, neat cut.
l When using a lattice cutter, use only on firm pastry;
if the pastry is too soft, you will have difficulty lifting
the lattice.
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Rolling:
l Roll the pastry on a lightly floured surface; turn the
pastry to prevent it sticking. Keep the rolling pin
lightly floured and free from the pastry.
l Always roll with care, treating the pastry lightly –
never apply too much pressure.
l Always apply even pressure when using a rolling pin.
Shaping: this refers to producing flans, tartlets,
barquettes and other such goods with pastry. Shaping
also refers to crimping with the back of a small knife
using the thumb technique.
Docking: this is piercing raw pastry with small holes to
prevent it from rising during baking, as when cooking
tartlets blind.
Shortening agent:a fat used to help prevent the
Key terms
development of gluten strands when making pastry.
This helps to make the texture of the product more
crumbly.
Rubbing in: a technique where flour is rubbed into
a fat to make products such as short pastry and
crumbles. Using the fingertips, flour and butter are
rubbed gently together until the mixture resembles
fine breadcrumbs.
Creaming: the initial mixing of sugar and cream
together using a wooden spoon or electric mixer
until a smooth mixture is formed. This is often used
in the production of sweet/sugar pastry.
Lamination: the term for the process of alternating
layers of dough and butter when making puff
pastry, croissants or Danish pastries.
Boiling: this method is unique to the production of
choux paste, where the butter is initially melted in
boiling water before being made into a paste with
the addition of flour and then eggs.
Turning: the term used to describe the process of
producing the layers in laminated pastry. Each time
the paste is rolled and folded, it is referred to as a
turn.
Glazing
A glaze is something that gives a product a smooth,
shiny surface. Examples of glazes used for pastry dishes
are as follows:
l A hot clear gel produced from a pectin source
obtainable commercially for finishing flans and
tartlets; always use while still hot. A cold gel is
exactly the same except that it is used cold. The
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Produce paste products 13
gel keeps a sheen on the goods and keeps out all
oxygen, which might otherwise cause discoloration.
l Apricot glaze, produced from apricot jam, acts in the
same way as gels.
l Eggwash, applied prior to baking, produces a rich
glaze during the cooking process.
l Icing sugar dusted on the surface of the product
caramelises in the oven or under the grill.
l Fondant gives a rich sugar glaze, which may be
flavoured and/or coloured.
l Water icing gives a transparent glaze, which may
also be flavoured and/or coloured.
Finishing and presentation
It is essential that all products are finished according to
the recipe requirements. Finishing and presentation is
often a key stage in the process, as failure at this point
can affect sales. The way goods are presented is an
important part of the sales technique. Each product of
the same type must be of the same shape, size, colour
and finish. The decoration should be attractive, delicate
and in keeping with the product range. All piping
should be neat, clean and tidy.
Fillings, glazes, cream and icings
Many different fillings are used in pastry products,
including include crème pâtissière, frangipane and fresh
fruit. Cream and butter cream, preserves and jam can
also be used.
Finishing and decorating
techniques
Some methods of finishing and presentation are as
follows.
l Dusting – sprinkling icing sugar on a product using
a fine sugar dredger or sieve.
l Piping – using fresh cream, chocolate or fondant.
l Filling – with fruit, cream, pastry cream, etc. Avoid
overfilling as this can give the product a clumsy
appearance.
l Icing: Some paste products, such as a Bakewell tart,
are glazed using an icing, such as water icing in this
example.
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Storage Allergies
l Store all goods according to the Food Safety and Although it is essential to clearly list all potential
Hygiene Regulations 2013/Food Safety Temperature allergens when making paste products, the allergens
Control Regulation 1995 and General Food that are most like to be used in their production include:
Regulations (2004). l gluten – flours and any products made from wheat,
l Always make sure that storage containers are kept rye, barley and oats.
clean and returned ready for re-use. On their return l nuts – such as ground hazelnuts, and almonds.
they should be hygienically washed and stored. These can be added to flavour pastes such as sablé.
l Freshly made, raw paste should be wrapped tightly l eggs – used in the production of sweet and choux
in secure film or placed in an air-tight, sealed bag. paste.
It should then be clearly labelled and dated before
Beyond the basic preparation of pastes, attention is
storing in a refrigerator or freezer.
also required with regard to the additional ingredients
l Finished paste products can be refrigerated to
that are used to complete pastry products. Tarts are
maintain food safety. However, pastry does not tend
often filled with creams, produced with milk and/or
to maintain its quality in refrigerated conditions. The
cream (lactose). Other fillings may include nuts, such
moist atmosphere leads to pastes softening, losing
as frangipane, so it is vitally important to assess any of
their crisp and short properties. Any additional
the other potential allergens that are incorporated into
ingredients also have to be considered. Creams can
pastry products as well as the paste itself.
lose their viscosity and can retract from the pastry
lining and prepared fruits can weep, losing their
structure.
l Some cooked pastry products are suitable for
freezing. For example, unfilled, blind-baked pastry
cases freeze well for use at a later stage. Other
completed products need to be analysed as to
their suitability for freezing, based on the additional
ingredients used and their suitability.

Test yourself
1 What is the ratio of fat to flour for:
a) short pastry
b) puff pastry
c) sugar pastry?
2 How is the fat added to the flour in the production of choux pastry?
3 What type of fat is required for the production of suet paste?
4 What is meant by the term ‘lamination’?
5 What is the filling for a classical gâteau Pithiviers?
6 Provide five examples of products that can be produced using puff pastry.
7 Name one pastry product, eaten as a dessert, which would be unsuitable for
a vegetarian customer.
8 Describe three fillings that can be used in the production of sweet tarts.
9 Other than éclairs and profiteroles, name three products that are made using
choux paste.
10 What quality points indicate a well-produced lemon tart?
11 Describe the finishing stages when producing mille-feuilles.
12 Describe three considerations when refrigerating a freshly baked strawberry
tart, filled with crème patissière.
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1 Sugar (or sweet) paste (pâte à sucre)

Sugar pastry is used for products such as flans, fruit 3 Make a well in the centre of the flour. Add the
tarts and tartlets. sugar and beaten egg.
4 Gradually incorporate the flour and margarine or
400 g 1 kg
butter and lightly mix to a smooth paste. Allow to
Sugar 50 g 125 g rest before using.
Butter or block/cake margarine 125 g 300 g
Method 2 – traditional French sugar paste (creaming).
Eggs 1 2–3
1 Taking care not to over-soften, cream the butter
Flour (soft) 200 g 500 g
and sugar.
Salt Pinch Large pinch
2 Add the beaten egg gradually and mix for a few
Method 1 – sweet lining paste (rubbing in). seconds.
1 Sieve the flour and salt. Lightly rub in the 3 Gradually incorporate the sieved flour and salt.
margarine or butter to achieve a sandy texture. Mix lightly until smooth.
2 Mix the sugar and egg until dissolved. 4 Allow to rest in a cool place before using.

1 Measure out the sugar and cut the 2 Cream the butter and sugar 3 Add the beaten egg in stages,
butter into small chunks. together. thoroughly mixing each time.

4 Incorporate the flour and salt. 5 Press into a tray and leave to chill. 6 The paste will need to be rolled
out before use in any recipe.

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Professional tip
The higher the percentage of butter, the shorter and
richer the paste will become. However, as the butter will
soften and melt during handling, the paste will become
softer and more difficult to work with. Therefore chilling
and light, quick handling are required when using a
sweet paste with a high butter content.
This also applies to the working environment. For
example, in a particularly warm kitchen, it will be more
difficult to work with a paste of this structure than in a
cooler kitchen.
From left to right: short paste (recipe 2), rough puff paste (recipe 3)
The butter in this recipe could be reduced from 125 g to
and sugar paste (recipe 1)
100 g to make handling easier.

2 Short paste (pâte à foncer)

Short pastry is used in fruit pies, Cornish pasties, etc. 1 Sieve the flour and salt.
2 Rub in the fat to achieve a sandy texture.
400 g 850 g
3 Make a well in the centre.
Flour (soft) 250 g 500 g
4 Add sufficient water to make a fairly firm paste.
Salt Pinch Large pinch
Butter or block/cake margarine 125 g 250 g
5 Handle as little and as lightly as possible.
Refrigerate until firm before rolling.
Water 40–50 ml 80–100 ml

Variations Professional tip

For wholemeal short pastry, use wholemeal flour in
place of half to three-quarters of the white flour.
Short pastry for sweet dishes such as baked jam roll
may be made with self-raising flour.
Lard can be used in place of some or all of the fat
(the butter or cake margarine). Lard has excellent
shortening properties and would lend itself, in terms of
flavour, to savoury products, particularly meat-based
ones. However, many people view lard as an unhealthy
product as it is very high in saturated fat. It is also
unsuitable for anyone following a vegan or vegetarian
diet as it is an animal product.
The amount of water used varies according to:
l the type of flour (a very fine soft flour is more
absorbent)
l the degree of heat (for example, prolonged contact
with hot hands, or warm weather conditions).
Different fats have different shortening properties.
For example, paste made with a high ratio of butter to
other fat will be harder to handle.

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Faults
Possible reasons for faults in short pastry are detailed below.
Hard: Soft–crumbly: Soggy:
l too much water l too little water l too much water
l too little fat l too much fat. l too cool an oven
l fat rubbed in insufficiently l baked for insufficient time.
Blistered:
l too much handling and rolling
l too little water Shrunken:
l over-baking.
l water added unevenly l too much handling and rolling
l fat not rubbed in evenly. l pastry stretched while handling.

From left to right: correct, blistered and shrunken short paste

3 Rough puff paste

475 g 1.2 kg 5 Turn on to a floured table and roll into an oblong

strip, about 30 × 10 cm, keeping the sides square.
Flour (strong) 200 g 500 g
6 Give one double turn (as for puff pastry).
Salt 1 large pinch 2 large pinches
Butter or block/cake margarine 150 g 375 g
7 Allow to rest in a cool place, covered with cloth or
(lightly chilled) plastic for 30 minutes.
Water, ice-cold 125 ml 300 ml 8 Give three more double turns, resting between
Lemon juice, ascorbic or tartaric acid 10 ml 25 ml each. (Alternatively, give six single turns.) Allow to
rest before using.
1 Sieve the flour and salt.
2 Cut the fat into small pieces and lightly mix them Professional tip
into the flour without rubbing in. Each time you leave the paste to rest, gently make
finger indentations, one for each turn you have made.
3 Make a well in the centre.
4 Add the liquid and mix to a dough. The dough
should be fairly tight at this stage.

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1 Make a well in the centre of the 2 Mix to a fairly stiff dough 3 Roll out and fold the ends to
flour and butter and add the liquid the middle

4 Keep rolling, folding and turning 5 The finished paste, ready to rest
and then use

4 Choux paste (pâte à choux)

Choux paste is used to make products such as éclairs, 3 Return to a moderate heat and stir continuously
profiteroles and gâteau Paris-Brest. until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.
(This is known as a panada.)
750 g 1.5 kg
4 Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Water 250 ml 500 ml
5 Gradually add the beaten eggs, beating well.
Sugar Pinch Large pinch
Do not add all the eggs at once – check the
Salt Pinch Large pinch consistency as you go. The mixture should just
Butter or block/cake margarine 100 g 200 g flow back when moved in one direction (it may
Flour (strong) 150 g 300 g not take all the egg).
Eggs 4–5 8–10
Variation
1 Bring the water, sugar, salt and fat to the boil in a 50 per cent, 70 per cent or 100 per cent wholemeal flour
saucepan. Remove from the heat. may be used to make choux paste.

2 Add the sieved flour and mix in with a wooden

spoon.

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1 Cut the butter into cubes and then 2 Add the flour 3 When the panada is ready, it will
melt them in the water start to come away from the sides

4 Add egg until the mixture is the 5 Pipe the paste into the shape 6 A selection of shapes in raw
right consistency – it should drop required – these rings could be choux paste
from a spoon under its own weight used for Paris-Brest (Recipe 22)

Faults
Greasy and heavy paste:
l the basic mixture was over-cooked.

Soft paste, not aerated:

l flour insufficiently cooked
l eggs insufficiently beaten in the mixture
l oven too cool
l under-baked.

Split or separated mixture:

l egg added too quickly.

The choux buns on the left are light and well risen; those
on the right are poorly aerated.

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5 Suet paste

Suet paste is used for steamed fruit puddings, steamed

jam rolls, steamed meat puddings and dumplings.
1 Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt.
2 Mix in the suet. Make a well. Add the water.
3 Mix lightly to a fairly stiff paste.

Professional tip
Self-raising flour already contains baking powder so this
element could be reduced in the recipe if using self-
raising flour.
Vegetarian suet is also available to enable products to
be meat-free.

400 g 1 kg
Faults
Flour (soft) or self-raising flour 200 g 500 g
Baking powder 10 g 25 g Heavy and soggy paste:
l cooking temperature may have been too low.
Salt Pinch Large pinch
Prepared beef or vegetarian suet 100 g 250 g Tough paste:
l handled too much or over-cooked.
Water 125 ml 300 ml

6 Quiche Lorraine (cheese and ham savoury flan)

4 portions 10 portions
Short paste 100 g 250 g
Ham, chopped 75 g 150 g
Cheese, grated 50 g 125 g
Egg 1 2
Milk 125 ml 300 ml
Cayenne 1–2 g 3 g
Sea-salt (e.g. Maldon) 2 g 5 g

Variation
The filling can be varied by using lightly fried lardons of
bacon (in place of the ham), chopped cooked onions
Energy Cals Fat Sat fat Carb Sugar Protein Fibre and chopped parsley.
A variety of savoury flans can be made by using
imagination and experimenting with different
combinations (for example, stilton and onion; salmon
and dill; sliced sausage and tomato).

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1 Lightly grease an appropriately sized flan ring or
barquette, or tartlet moulds if making individual
portions. Line thinly with pastry.
2 Prick the bottom of the paste two or three times
with a fork to dock.
3 Cook in a hot oven at 200 °C for 3–4 minutes
or until the pastry is lightly set. Reduce the oven
temperature to 160 °C.
4 Remove from the oven; press the pastry down if it
has tended to rise.
5 Add the chopped ham and grated cheese.
6 Mix the egg, milk, salt and cayenne thoroughly.
Strain over the ham and cheese.
7 Return to the oven at 160 °C and bake gently for
approximately 20 minutes or until nicely browned
and the egg custard mix has set.

7 Flan case
1 Allow 25 g flour per portion and prepare sugar
pastry as per recipe 1.
2 Grease the flan ring and baking sheet.
3 Roll out the pastry 2 cm larger than the flan ring.
The pastry may be rolled between greaseproof or
silicone paper.
4 Place the flan ring on the baking sheet.
5 Carefully place the pastry on the flan ring, by
rolling it loosely over the rolling pin, picking up
and unrolling it over the flan ring.
6 Press the pastry into shape without stretching it,
being careful to exclude any air.
7 Allow a ½ cm ridge of pastry on top of the flan ring.
8 Cut off the surplus paste by rolling the rolling pin
firmly across the top of the flan ring.
9 Mould the edge with thumb and forefinger.
Decorate (a) with pastry tweezers or (b) with
thumbs and forefingers, squeezing the pastry
neatly to form a corrugated pattern.
[QR 11.09] Lining a flan

8 French apple flan (flan aux pommes)

4 portions 10 portions
Sweet paste 100 g 250 g
Pastry cream (crème pâtissière) 250 ml 625 ml
(see page xxx)
Cooking apples 400 g 1 kg
Sugar 50 g 125 g
Apricot glaze 2 tbsp 6 tbsp

Energy Cals Fat Sat fat Carb Sugar Protein Fibre

1428 kJ 340 kcal 13.8 g 5.8 g 53.8 g 36 g 3.5 g 2.9 g

1 Line a flan ring with sugar paste. Pierce the
bottom several times with a fork.
2 Pipe a layer of pastry cream into the bottom of
the flan.
3 Peel, quarter and wash the selected apple.
4 Cut into neat thin slices and lay carefully on the
pastry cream, overlapping each slice. Ensure that
each slice points to the centre of the flan then no
difficulty should be encountered in joining up the
pattern neatly.
5 Sprinkle a little sugar on the apple slices and bake
the flan at 200–220 °C for 30–40 minutes.
6 When the flan is almost cooked, remove the flan
ring carefully, return to the oven to complete the
cooking. Mask with hot apricot glaze or flan jelly.
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1 Pipe the filling neatly into the flan 2 Slice the apple very thinly for 3 Arrange the apple slices on top of
case decoration the flan

Assessment

9 Pear and almond tart

8 portions
Sweet paste 200 g
Apricot jam 25 g
Almond cream 350 g
Poached pears 4
Apricot glaze
Flaked almonds
Icing sugar

Energy Cals Fat Sat fat Carb Sugar Protein Fibre

1 Line a buttered 20 cm flan ring with sweet paste.
Trim and dock.
2 Using the back of a spoon, spread a little apricot
jam over the base.
3 Pipe in almond cream until the flan case is two-
thirds full.
4 Dry the poached pears. Cut them in half and
remove the cores and string.
5 Score across the pears and arrange on top of
the flan.
6 Bake in the oven at 200 °C for 25–30 minutes.
7 Allow to cool, then brush with apricot glaze.
8 Sprinkle flaked almonds around the edge and
dust with icing sugar.

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10 Treacle tart

4 portions 10 portions
Short paste 125 g 300 g
Treacle 100 g 250 g
Water 1 tbsp 2 ½ tbsp
Lemon juice 3–4 drops 8–10 drops
Fresh white bread or cake crumbs 15 g 50 g

Energy Cals Fat Sat fat Carb Sugar Protein Fibre

1 Lightly grease an appropriately sized flan ring, or

barquette or tartlet moulds if making individual
portions.
Variation
2 Line with pastry.
This tart can also be made in a shallow flan ring. Any
3 Warm the treacle, water and lemon juice; add the
pastry debris can be rolled and cut into ½ cm strips and
used to decorate the top of the tart before baking. crumbs.
4 Place into the pastry ring and bake at 170 °C for
Try sprinkling with vanilla salt as a garnish.
about 20 minutes.

11 Egg custard tart

8 portions
Sweet paste 250 g
Egg yolks 9
Caster sugar 75 g
Whipping cream, gently warmed and infused with 500 ml
2 sticks of cinnamon
Nutmeg, freshly grated

Energy Cals Fat Sat fat Carb Sugar Protein Fibre

1 Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface, to
2 mm thickness. Use it to line a 20 cm flan ring,
placed on a baking sheet.
2 Line the pastry with food-safe cling film or
greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans.
Bake blind in a preheated oven at 190 °C for
about 10 minutes or until the pastry is turning
golden brown. Remove the paper and beans, and
allow to cool. Turn the oven down to 130 °C.
3 To make the custard filling, whisk together the
egg yolks and sugar. Add the cream and mix well.
4 Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into a
saucepan. Heat to 37 °C.
5 Fill the pastry case with the custard to ½ cm
below the top. Place it carefully into the middle of
the oven and bake for 30–40 minutes or until the
custard appears to be set but not too firm.
6 Remove from the oven and dust with icing sugar
and a little grated nutmeg. Allow to cool to room
temperature.
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12 Bakewell tart

8 portions
Sugar paste 200 g
Raspberry jam 50 g
Eggwash 1 egg
Apricot glaze 50 g
Icing sugar 35 g
Frangipane (almond cream) 250 g

Energy Cals Fat Sat fat Carb Sugar Protein Fibre

1 Line a 20 cm flan ring using three-quarters of the 5 Bake in a moderately hot oven at 200–210 °C for
paste, 2 mm thick. 30–40 minutes. Brush with hot apricot glaze.
2 Pierce the bottom with a fork. 6 When cooled, brush over with very thin water icing.
3 Spread with jam and the frangipane. Sprinkle with flaked almonds
4 Roll the remaining paste, cut into neat 0.5 cm
strips and arrange neatly criss-crossed (lattice) on
the frangipane; trim off surplus paste. Brush with
eggwash.

13 Lemon tart (tarte au citron)

8 portions
Sweet paste 200 g
Lemons Juice of 3, zest
from 4
Eggs 8
Caster sugar 300 g
Double cream 250 ml

Energy Cals Fat Sat fat Carb Sugar Protein Fibre

1 Prepare 200 g of sweet paste, adding the zest of
one lemon to the sugar.
2 Line a 20 cm flan ring with the paste.
3 Bake blind at 190 °C for approximately
15 minutes.
4 Prepare the filling: mix the eggs and sugar
together until smooth, add the cream, lemon juice
and zest. Whisk well.
5 Seal the pastry, so that the filling will not leak out.
Pour the filling into the flan case and bake for
30–40 minutes at 150 °C until just set. (Take care
when almost cooked as overcooking will cause
the filling to rise and possibly crack.)
6 Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
7 Dust with icing sugar and glaze under the grill or
with a blowtorch. Portion and serve.

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Variation Note
Limes may be used in place of lemons. If so, use the zest The mixture will fill one 16 × 4 cm or two 16 × 2 cm flan
and juice of 5 limes or use a mixture of lemons and limes. rings. If using two flan rings, double the amount of pastry
and reduce the baking time when the filling is added.

Professional tip
If possible, make the filling one day in advance.
The flavour will develop as the mixture matures.

14 Baked chocolate tart

8 portions
Sweet paste 200 g
Filling
Eggs 3
Egg yolks 3
Caster sugar 60 g
Butter 200 g
Chocolate pistoles (55% cocoa, unsweetened) 300 g

Energy Cals Fat Sat fat Carb Sugar Protein Fibre

1 Roll out the sweet paste and line a 20 cm flan ring.
Bake the flan case blind.
2 For the filling, whisk the eggs, yolks and sugar
together to make a sabayon.
3 Bring the butter to the boil, remove and mix in the
chocolate pistoles until they are all melted.
4 Once the sabayon is light and fluffy, fold in
the chocolate and butter mixture, mixing very
carefully so as not to beat out the air.
5 Pour into the cooked flan case and place
in the oven at 150 °C until the edge crusts
(approximately 5 minutes). Chill to set.
6 Once set, remove from fridge and then serve at
room temperature.
Note
Pistoles or pellets are one form in which chocolate is
sold. They are very versatile and easy to use for melting
purposes due to their uniform size.

Add chocolate pistols to the Fold in the chocolate Pour the mixture into the flan case
melted butter
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15 Lemon meringue pie

2 × 20 cm
flan rings
(16 portions)
Sweet paste flan cases 2
Granulated sugar 450 g
Lemons, grated zest 2
Fresh lemon juice 240 ml
Eggs, large 8
Large egg yolks 2
Unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 350 g
Meringue:
Egg whites 6
Energy Cals Fat Sat fat Carb Sugar Protein Fibre
Caster sugar 600 g

1 Place the sugar into a bowl and grate the zest of
lemon into it, rubbing together.
2 Strain the lemon juice into a non-reactive pan.
Add the eggs, egg yolks, butter and zested sugar.
Whisk to combine.
3 Place over a medium heat and whisk continuously
for 3–5 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken.
4 At the first sign of boiling, remove from the heat.
Strain into a bowl and cool before filling the
pastry cases.
5 Make the meringue (see page xx). Pipe it on top
of the filled pie.
6 Colour in a hot oven at 220 °C.

16 Mince pies

12 small pies
Sweet paste 200 g
Mincemeat (see below) 200 g
Eggwash 1 egg
Icing sugar

Energy Cals Fat Sat fat Carb Sugar Protein Fibre

1 Roll out the pastry 3 mm thick.
2 Cut half the pastry into fluted rounds 6 cm in
diameter.
3 Place on a greased, dampened baking sheet.
4 Moisten the edges. Place a little mincemeat in the
centre of each.
6 Cover the mincemeat with pastry and seal the
edges. Brush with eggwash.
7 Bake at 210 °C for approximately 20 minutes.
8 Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve warm.
Note

5 Cut the remainder of the pastry into fluted rounds, Accompany with a suitable sauce, such as custard,
8 cm in diameter. brandy sauce or brandy cream. Tartlette moulds may
also be used.
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Mincemeat:

AQ how much 1 Mix the ingredients together.

Suet, chopped 100 g 2 Seal in jars and use as required.
Mixed peel, chopped 100 g
Variation
Currants 100 g
Short or puff pastry may also be used. Various toppings
Sultanas 100 g
can also be added, such as crumble mixture or flaked
Raisins 100 g almonds and an apricot glaze.
Apples, chopped 100 g
Barbados sugar 100 g
Mixed spice 5 g
Lemon, grated zest and juice of 1
Orange, grated zest and juice of 1
Rum 60 ml
Brandy 60 ml

17 Banana flan (flan aux bananes)

4 portions 10 portions
Sweet paste 100 g 250 g
Pastry cream (see page xx) or thick 125 ml 250 ml
custard
Bananas 2 5
Apricot glaze 2 tbsp 5 tbsp

1 Line a flan ring with sugar paste. Cook blind and

allow to cool.
2 Make pastry cream (see page xx) or custard;
pour while hot into the flan case.
3 Allow to set. Peel and slice the bananas neatly.
Energy Cals Fat Sat fat Carb Sugar Protein Fibre 4 Arrange overlapping layers on the pastry cream.
1549 kJ 369 kcal 16.0 g 6.9 g 53.7 g 30.3 g 6.0 g 2.9 g Coat with glaze.

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18 Fruit tart, tartlets and barquettes

4 portions Tartlets:
Sweet paste 250 g 1 Roll out pastry 3 mm thick.
Fruit (e.g. strawberries, raspberries, grapes, 500 g 2 Cut out rounds with a fluted cutter and place
blueberries) them neatly in greased tartlet moulds. If soft fruit
Pastry cream (such as strawberries or raspberries) is being
Glaze 5 tbsp used, the pastry should be cooked blind first.
3 After baking and filling (or filling and baking) with
Fruit tart: pastry cream, dress neatly with fruit and glaze
1 Line a flan ring with paste and cook blind at the top.
190 °C. Allow to cool.
2 Pick and wash the fruit, then drain well. Wash and
slice/segment, etc. any larger fruit being used.
3 Pipe pastry cream into the flan case, filling it to the
rim. Dress the fruit neatly over the top.
4 Coat with the glaze. Use a glaze suitable for the
fruit chosen, for example, with a strawberry tart,
use a red glaze.

Note
Professional tip
Certain fruits (such as strawberries and raspberries) are Brush the inside of the pastry case with melted
sometimes served in boat-shaped moulds (barquettes). couverture before filling. This forms a barrier between
The preparation is the same as for tartlets. Tartlets and the pastry and the moisture in the filling.
barquettes should be glazed and served allowing one
large or two small per portion.

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Faults

Although this strawberry tart may appear to be fine at first
glance, the husks of the strawberries are visible. It would
be better to present the strawberries with their tops
pointing upwards or sliced and overlapping.
There is also quite a wide gap between the rows of
strawberries, showing the crème pâtissière underneath.
This should be avoided.
The second photo shows the importance of ensuring that
fillings are prepared and/or cooked properly. In this case,
the crème pâtissière has not been cooked sufficiently
or prepared accurately as the filling is not structured
sufficiently to support the fruit once the tart has been cut.

19 Fruit slice (bande aux fruits)

1 Roll out the pastry 2 mm thick in a strip 12 cm wide.

2 Place on a greased, dampened baking sheet.
3 Moisten two edges with eggwash; lay two
1.5 cm-wide strips along each edge.
4 Seal firmly and mark with the back of a knife.
Prick the bottom of the slice.
5 Depending on the fruit used, either put the fruit
(such as apple) on the slice and cook together,
or cook the slice blind and afterwards place the
pastry cream and fruit (such as tinned peaches)
on the pastry. Glaze and serve as for flans.

Note
Energy Cals Fat Sat fat Carb Sugar Protein Fibre Fruit slices may be prepared from any fruit suitable for
flans/tarts.

8–10 portions
Variation
Puff pastry 250 g
Alternative methods are to use:
Fruit (see note) 400 g l short or sweet pastry for the base and puff pastry for
Pastry cream 250 ml the two side strips
(approximately) l sweet pastry in a slice mould.
Apricot glaze 2 tbsp

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Assessment

20 Chocolate éclairs (éclairs au chocolat)

12 portions
Choux paste 200 ml
Whipped cream/Chantilly cream 250 ml
Fondant 100 g
Chocolate couverture 25 g

Variations
For coffee éclairs (éclairs au café) add a few drops of
coffee extract to the fondant instead of chocolate; coffee
éclairs may also be filled with pastry cream (see page xx)
Energy Cals Fat Sat fat Carb Sugar Protein Fibre flavoured with coffee.

1 Place the choux paste into a piping bag with a
1 cm plain tube.
2 Pipe into 8 cm lengths onto a lightly greased,
dampened baking sheet.
3 Bake at 200–220 °C for about 30 minutes.
4 Allow to cool. Slit down one side, with a sharp knife.
5 Fill with Chantilly cream (or whipped cream) using
a piping bag and small tube. The continental
fashion is to fill with pastry cream.
6 Warm the fondant, add the finely cut chocolate,
allow to melt slowly, adjusting the consistency
with a little sugar and water syrup if necessary.
Do not overheat or the fondant will lose its shine.
7 Glaze the éclairs by dipping them in the fondant;
remove the surplus with the finger. Allow to set.
Note
Traditionally, chocolate éclairs were filled with chocolate
pastry cream.

1 Pierce the éclair 2 Pipe in the filling 3 Dip the éclair in fondant; wipe the
edges to give a neat finish

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 Practical
Cookery Level 2 app!

Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPad and iPod

touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered
in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a
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 PRACTICAL
COOKERY
Master culinary skills and prepare for assessment with the book which
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With 460 recipes covering both classic dishes and the latest methods used in
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• Break down key techniques with 50 step-by-step photo sequences
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new assessment section
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Birmingham.
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